Mowing-machine.



Patented lOcc. 8, |90I.

Nu. es4,|44.

A. G. WATEBHUUSE.

MDWlNG MACHINE.

(Applieation filed June 12, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADDISON G. IVATERHOUSE, OF SPRINGFIELD TOVNSI'IIP, DELAWARE COUNTY,PENNSYLVANIA.

IMOWWG-MACHIN|-:-.

srnorrrcnrrolv forming part 4of Letters Patent No. 684,144, dated'october s, 1on1.

Application filed June 1*2, 190]..v

T0 a/ZZ whom t 77u03/ conc-crm Beit known that I, ADDISON G. WATER-HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the township ofSpringfield, county of Delaware, and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Mowing-Machines, of which thefollowing is aspecification.

My invention relates to the cutter-bar of a mowing-machine, andcomprises rotary cutters journaled in brackets or bearings which areconnected to the cutter-bar, having their axis of rotation at a right oroblique angle to the direction in which the mowing-machine advances andtheir direction of rotation opposite to that of the wheels of themowingmachine, with stationary fingers attached to the cutter-bar andplaced under the rotating cutters and having shearing edges upon andcrossing their upper surfaces, said shearing edges facing backward fromthe points' of the fingers andin a line parallel to and in shearingcontact with the blades of the rotating cutters, the shearing-blades ofthe rotating cutters being formed spiral or otherwise to their axis ofrotation, so that they will press the grass or grain to one side as itenters between the stationary ngers and back of their shearing edges,where it will be sheared off by the blades of the rotating cutters.

The operation of my invention is as follows: As the mowing-machineadvances the ingers of the cutting-bar pass through the grass or grainto be mowed, and as the stalks of the grass get between two of thefingers the revolving cutter presses them to one side and brings thembehind the shearing edges of the stationary plates, where they aresheared off between the shearing edges and the blade of the revolvingcutter.

In order to more perfectly describe my invention, reference will be hadto the accompanying drawings, made a part of this specication, in which-Figure 1 shows a part of a cutter-bar with fingers, shearing-plates, andrevolving cutter embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional end Viewofy Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a section on line Yof Fig.

3. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line X of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a modifiedform of cutting appa- Serial No. 64,207. (No model.)

ratus. Fig. 7 shows a mower-wheel geared to a cutter. Figs. 8, 9, and 10are details.

Fig. 1 shows part of a cutter-bar N, having a number of fingers F. Ashearing-plate F is fixed to the upper surface of each finger, having ashearing edge C. This edge faces opposite to the direction in which thefingers F point and toward vwhich the machine is moved. Each fingerF isnarrowed or partly cut away behind the shearing edge C, so that an openspace is created into which the grass or grain passes and bringing itdirectly behind the cutting edges C. In the meantime the spiral bladesof the revolving cutter WV, which rotates in a direction which bringsits lower blade toward the shearing edges C, presses the grass to oneside in a way which brings it directly behind the shearing edges C,where it is sheared off as the blade of the cutter XV passes theshearing edges C. In order to secure this shearing effect, the shearingedges C of each of the plates F are placed exactly parallel to the axisof the revolving cutter IV, thereby making it so that all the shearingedges C can be ground or sharpened in a straight line; otherwise curvedshearing edges would be required, which for obvious reasons would beimpractical. The spiral blades of the cutter W have the effect ofbending the grass to one side or behind the shearing edges C, so that itwill be cut off as the blades of the cutter pass these shearing edges.To illustrate the foregoing: Assume that the small circle G representsan upright stalk of grass past which two of the fingers F have advanced,so that G is the rear of the line of the shearing edges C. Then assumethat the heavy line W represents the anglev of the lower blade of therotating cutter W. This line WV would move in the direction in which thefingers F point and in which the machine was moved; but the line W wouldadvance twice or three times as fast as the machine. This more rapidadvance of line W would cause it to strike the stalk G and throw itforward at an angle represented by the small arrow passing through G.This would throw G directly behind the shearing edge C, so that G wouldbe sheared off as the line YV', representing a blade of the cutter IV,passed the shearing edge C.

IOO

Fig. 2 shows a sect-ion of a cutter-bar N and the revolving. cutter NV,with its cuttingblades W' and W2. It also shows a finger F and ashearing-plate F in section. This machine is assumed to be advancing inthe direction ot'` the arrow, and the cutter W rotates so that its upperblade W willmove backward and give the grass, as represented by thestalk Gr, a free chance to enter between the fingers F, where it issheared ed between the blade W2 and the shearing edge C. As the stalk Gfalls upon the cutter W it is thrown backward by the backward motion ofthe upper blade of W, so that the machine will be free from the fallinggrass, and owing to this fact the diameter of W can be made very small,and as its speed of lrotation can be comparatively slow therefore thepower required for driving the machine will be light.

Fig. 3 shows a plan of two fingers F, made of one piece, withshearing-plates F on their upper surfaces. These lingers may be madesingle or in groups of two or more and be secured to the cutter-bar.They may be made of soft metal with hardened shearing-plates, or all maybe made of one kind of metal.

Fig. 4 shows a section of Fig. 3 drawn at the dotted line Y on Fig. 3,with a section of the cutter-bar N, to which the ngers are attached.

Fig. 5 shows a section of Fig. 4 at dotted line X. It also shows a stalkof grass G, bent to one side and in the rear of the shearing edge C ofthe plate F', as represented in explaining the effect of thespiral-shaped blades belonging to the cutter W.

Fig. 6 shows a modified form of my invention, in which the cutting-bar(represented by N) is at an oblique angle to the direction in which themachine is-moved, as indicated by arrow, and the way the fingers point.In this form the shearing edges C of the plates F and also the axis ofthe revolving cutters W (a part of which is shown in dotted line) areall at the same angle, so that a shearing eectis produced between thestraight line formed by the shearing edges C and the blades of thecutter W, as described in connection wit-h Fig. l. In this form theblades of W need not be made spiral, as the angle at which W rotateswill throw the grass behind the shearing edges C. A slight spiral isshown, so as to cause the shearing to occur at the differentshearing-plates F in succession, so as to cause a more even motion ofthe machine.

Fig. Z shows a wheel M of a mowing-inachine advancing, as indicated byarrow, and geared by a toothed wheel D, so that the rotation of thecutter WV will be as indicated by the curved arrow, -or so its lowerblade will move toward the shearing edge O or in the direction in whichthe machine advances, while the upper blade will move in the oppositedirection, so as to throw thegrass backward'.

Fig. 8 shows a section of a cutter-bar N,

provided with groups of small fingers F, with large bearing fingers Bplaced at intervals between them and having bearings B placed on them,so the grass will be parted by the large bearing-fingers B.

Fig. 9 shows how two or more short cutters W can be placed on a shaft Oand be laid in the bearings B of Fig. 8 that will enable the cutter-barN to be made of anylength, while the cutters WV can be made short inorder to increase their lateral strength and make it practical to havethem of comparatively small diameter.

Fig. 10 shows a zigzag line W3, which represents a form of cutting edgebelonging to the blades of the revolving cutter W, as shown in Fig. 2.VThis zigzag form is arranged so that the cutting edges of W will bedivided into two angles W4 and W5, the greater angles W4 being locatedso that they will revolve over the spaces between the fingers F and pushthe grass to one side and behind the shearing edges C, while the lesserangles W5 will rotate over and in shearing contact with the edges C andshear the grass 0E.

What I claim as my invention is l. In a mowing-machine a cutter-bar,provided with lingers having shearing edges facing backward from thefinger-points; a cutter. rotating on an axis parallel to the line formedby the shearing edges on the fingers, and in a direction tocauseitslower surfaceto move toward the points of the fingers, andwithin shearing contact with the shearing edges on the iin gers:substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a mowing-machine: a cutter-bar in combination with a rotatingcutter placed roo" Y above the cutter-bar, with iingers placed under therotating cutter, having backward-fac'-V ing shearing edges located ontheir-uppersurface and crossing fingers at or near their middle; therotating cutter being provided with cutting-blades, which, when atthelower side of the cutter will extend at an anglefrom the direction inwhich the iingers'point.: substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

3. In a mowing-machine: the combination ofa rotating cutter, means forcausing it toV revolve in a direction opposite to the rotation of themowerwheels, said cutter provided with one or more cutting-bladesextending along their axis of rotation 3' so that the part of theircutting edge while underneath wil-l extend on a line forming an anglefrom the line on which the machine advances.: and a cutter-bar havingfingers extending from the bar in the direction in which the machine1noves,said fingers being provided with shearing edges extending acrosstheir upper'surfaces, near midway in their length and facing backward sothat the rotating. blades will come in shearing contact with theshearing edges on the fingers: substantially as de' scribed.V

4; In a mowing-machine: the combination of a rotating cutter, geared soas to revolve ng a' line, and an pen space between the fingers and backof their shearing edges; and a rotating cutter having its axis ofrotation above and parallel to the shearing edges on the ingers and itscutting-blades at an angle to the line formed by the cutting edges onthe' fingers While in shearing contact with the same; substantially asset forth.

ADDISON G. WATERHOUSE. Witnesses:

W. S. WATSON, GEO. L. G. WATERHOUSE.

